Check the panels are the ones you paid for
The swap happens on delivery day, not in the showroom.
The short version
- • Check the labels before the panels leave the ground.
- • Photograph every serial number. You need them for a warranty claim later.
- • The model on the panel must match the model on your quote, exactly.
A quote that names a panel model is a promise.
Delivery day is when you find out if it was kept. After the panels are bolted down, checking means a ladder and an argument.
You need twenty minutes and a phone camera.
Before anything goes on the roof
Read the label on the back of a panel
It shows the maker, the model number, the wattage and a serial number. Compare the model with your quote. It should match exactly. A different ending on the model number is a different panel.
Photograph every serial number
One photo per panel. You will need these for a warranty claim in year six, when the company may have changed hands.
Check the panels are not damaged
Cracked glass, bent frames or a damaged box on the back are all reasons to refuse a panel there and then. Damage found later becomes an argument about who caused it.
Do the same for the inverter
Model number on the unit against model number on the quote. Photograph it. A swap here can hold up your net metering.
The clearest warning sign is the price
A panel offered far below the going rate for its brand and wattage is usually not what it claims to be. Nobody sells the same thing for a third less out of kindness.
Papers to keep
- An invoice listing the exact models
- The list of serial numbers
- The warranty terms in writing
Keep them together. Companies change hands and phone numbers change. Your folder does not.
Check brands, wattage and price per watt before you accept a delivery.
Compare listed panels